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England, England [Paperback]

Julian Barnes (Author)
2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Book Description

Publication Date: 24 April 2008

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction

As every schoolboy knows, you can fit the whole of England on the Isle of White. Grotesque, visionary tycoon Sir Jack Pitman takes the saying literally and does exactly that. He constructs on the island 'The Project', a vast heritage centre containing everything 'English', from Big Ben to Stonehenge, from Manchester United to the white cliffs of Dover. The project is monstrous, risky, and vastly successful. In fact, it gradually begins to rival 'Old' England and even threatens to supersede it...

One of Barnes's finest and funniest novels, England, England calls into question the idea of replicas, truth vs fiction, reality vs art, nationhood, myth-making, and self-exploration.

Frequently Bought Together

England, England + Flaubert's Parrot + Arthur & George
Price For All Three: £19.32

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  • Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes Paperback £6.74
  • Arthur & George by Julian Barnes Paperback £6.29

Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage (24 April 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0099526549
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099526544
  • Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 1.8 x 20 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 48,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Julian Barnes
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Product Description

Amazon Review

Julian Barnes's England, England is a sharp-edged satire of Englishness at the end of the 20th century. The real England is failing--her empire lost, her aspirations to greatness subsiding, her history fading. Megalomaniacal entrepreneur Sir Jack Pitman hits upon the idea of creating an altogether superior, theme-park version of the original on the Isle of Wight (renamed simply the Island). His creative team includes Martha Cochraine, whose own childhood disappointments and unfulfilled dreams Barnes unfolds to the reader in the opening chapters. For a brief moment it looks as if able Martha will outsmart the ruthless Sir Jack, assisted by her grateful, bespectacled lover Paul Harrison (the operation's "ideas catcher"). But this is fantasy, so humble Paul betrays Martha (it would never do for the feisty woman to win after all). She retreats to the real England of faded glory, nostalgic folklore and regret.

In one section of this short novel the theme-park Dr Johnson talks entirely in direct quotations from his distinguished 18th-century counterpart, before being judged insufficiently convincing. The real, we understand, is less compelling than the fake. There are so many cultural allusions per page that the head of even the most enthusiastic English culture snob will spin. --Lisa Jardine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Runs at glorious full tilt...delightful stuff (Independent )

A brilliant, Swiftian fantasy (The Economist )

There is no more intelligent writer on the literary scene. In this novel, he is also moving. He has written nothing more poignant and enticing (John Carey Sunday Times )

Not only a very funny satire about England and the world... He has also skilfully dissected the discomforting ways in which we have all grown to accept, and even depend on, illusion (Wall Street Journal )

Few writers think and talk so beguiling (Zoë Heller Independent on Sunday )
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars England's greatest exponent of the novel of ideas 2 April 2009
By Ian Shine TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Julian Barnes has regularly turned out novels breaching the boundaries between fiction and essay, lolling around in ideas and dissecting them as an essayist would but through the machinations of plot.

The genius of the man lies in the fact that despite his leanings towards the essay his works exist as fully-fledged fictional works. He is arguably the greatest English novelist of the past twenty years and has a much more natural handling of the vagaries of plot and character than most of his contemporaries.

In 'England, England' he takes on the idea of utopia/dystopia but with his usual comic touch. The plot revolves around a businessman's attempts to seal his legacy by creating a sort of mini-England on the Isle of Wight. The island holds everything that foreigners think constitutes England, from Robin Hood to Fish and Chips and even a robin in the snow, and serves as a kind of amusement park come tourist haven, enabling people to experience the breadth of English history and geography in a matter of days.

In terms of ideas Barnes covers capitalism, the real vs the imitation, British tabloids, love, sex and fetishism.

It's one of his more unconventional novels and I probably wouldn't recommend it for a first time reader of Barnes (try 'Talking It Over' instead), but it is probably the novel of his that will be looked at most in academic circles and on university courses and will be read alongside '1984' and 'Brave New World' in the future as a study of utopias/dystopias.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Big ideas 16 Aug 2009
By Mrs Plum
Format:Paperback
I was looking forward to reading `England, England'. The premise, discussed in detail by another reviewer, is fascinating, as are some of the characters. However, I don't believe that the finished product' fulfilled the promise. Partly, I think this is because the idea of reconstructing an idealised England is more interesting, at least for me, than the central characters and relationships that take over the story. I wasn't particularly interested in the relationship between Martha and Paul, and would have liked more of the Historian and his research.

Once the England theme park is established, the novel suddenly becomes light, amusing, and fun. The enjoyment is heightened by an amusing cast of minor characters, including Dr Johnson, Queen Denise, Lady Godiva and understudy, Robin Hood, and his band of merry men (and women). The welcome change of tone is short-lived, and strangely at odds with the rest of the book.

Having said that, I like Julian Barnes as an author and can recommend his work generally. This book is by no means bad; more a promise unfulfilled.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Barnes at his best: moral, thoughtful, and light-hearted 12 Mar 2000
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The first chapter alone is worth the whole book for the quality of the writing. Barnes' themes are treated lightly throughout his well-constructed narrative.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing's perfect
I purchased this book for a study course of what it mens to be 'English'.
The characters are less than loveable. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joyce
2.0 out of 5 stars England, England
I did not like the whole virtual reality concept here. I can see what the author was getting at but did not appreciate either style or content although there were some redeeming... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. R. Rosenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling
England, England is the eighth of Julian Barnes's eleven novels and it demonstrates all of the strengths of this dazzling author. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Johnny Walker
2.0 out of 5 stars Unending nonsense
This isn't so much a novel as a patchwork quilt of philosophical musings and quirky observations loosely draped around the story of one man's plan to recreate a miniature England... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dr. W. H. Konarzewski
2.0 out of 5 stars Not Great.
Julian Barnes seems to have passed me by but I recently read Sense of an Ending and found it to be a brilliant piece of work. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars "It is not only necessary to succeed, it is necessary that others...
Satire has to either be full-blooded and out to savage its subject, or it just doesn't work. No one really likes mild satire, or at least, not for the length of a whole novel. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Eileen Shaw
3.0 out of 5 stars A little convoluted
Maybe it is my fault rather than the author's, but I didn't find this book funny AT ALL - it didn't raise even a glimmer of a smile from start to finish. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Laura Smith
1.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best books were already written a long time ago
Didn't gain anything from this novel at any level, through the story line or through any interesting allegorical interpretation......nor was I entertained. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Timothy S. Beattie
1.0 out of 5 stars No thank you
Great service Amazon and seller but terrible book - for once after 150 pages i didn't even want to finish it. My book club had half a review of ' no thank you '
Published 18 months ago by B
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny. Clever. Insightful.
I am listening to England England on CD in the car and decided to check to see what else the author has written and was amazed to see how few stars it gets. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Gai
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